Located on Ireland’s southwest, to the north of Sherkin Island and northeast of Hare Island, Rincolisky Harbour is a mainland sea inlet. The area provides a secluded anchorage in a remote location close to Cunnamore ferry and fishing pier.

Enclosed behind two islands with rocky shoals and set within an inlet, Rincolisky Harbour offers good protection from all but very strong southerly winds. Approaches to the general area, from the north end of Baltimore Harbour or directly from Long Island Bay, have few marks, are intricate and challenging. So final approaches necessitate careful navigation as a vessel works its way through some rocky shoals. All of this requires settled conditions with good visibility.

Rincolisky Harbour inlet is only suitable for shallow-draft vessels but there are good depths available off Cunnamore pier. Local advice is recommended and Baltimore’s Harbour Master is familiar with Rincolisky Harbour and will be delighted to advise.

Keyfacts for Rincolisky Harbour

Position and approaches

Haven position

51° 30.227' N, 009° 25.474' W

This is set on the head of Cunnamore pier.

What is the initial fix?

This is set on the clearing line of bearing 230°T of Clare Island's Doonanore Castle ruins open east of Illauneana, as best seen on Admiralty 2129.

What are the key points of the approach?

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What's the story here?

Rincolisky Harbour is a narrow mainland inlet situated between the Turk Head promontory, to the east and Cunnamore Point to the west. It is further protected to the southwest by Hare Island. A ferry service operates from the modern Cunnamore Pier to Hare Island. Sited on a steep shoreline hillock, that descends into the opposite Roaring Water Bay, the remaining two storeys that survive of Rincolisky Castle still prominently overlook the harbour from the north.




Rincolisky Harbour is narrow and shallow having about 1 metre LAT at its entrance which lessens gradually to 0.3 metres LAT over a bottom of soft oozy mud bank, dry at the ebb. Boats that can take to the bottom will find an excellent berth here along the western shore. Close off Cunnamore Pier depths of up to 2.4 metres will be found.

How to get in?

Offshore details are available in southwestern Ireland’s Coastal Overview for Cork Harbour to Mizen Head . Seaward approaches and run up The Sound, from Baltimore Harbour, are covered in the Oldcourt River Ilen description as the anchorage lies off of its approach path.




When abreast of Two Woman’s Rock prepare to break off this track but steer northwest to clear a shallow area with 1.5 metres over it that extends about 400 metres from Two Woman’s Rock. Once clear of this steer about 340°T for 700 metres to Rincolisky Harbour.



The principal dangers in the final approach to Rincolisky Harbour are the Corrignamoe group of rocks that lie to the northeast of Heir Island. The east-most rocks of the group are covered at half-tide and are situated immediately east of a line that would join Heir Island pier and Cunnamore's outer breakwater.




Preferring the mainland side of this body of water, between the Turk Head peninsula and Hare Island, keeping about 100 metres off the eastern shoreline, will keep a vessel in the best water well clear of the Corrignamoe group. Continue along the mainland shore until after Heir Island pier is passed abreast, to port, and then a further 100 metres or so until the pier bears northwest, maintaining a distance of 150 metres from the mainland shoreline.




Then round in passing the north cardinal moored off Cunnamore pier on its correct side. Shallower draft vessels may continue on into the Rincolisky Harbour inlet on this path.




Rincolisky Harbour inlet offers depths from 0.6 metres to about 1 metre with the deeper water found off the eastern shore. Close off Cunnamore Pier depths up to 2.4 metres will be found.




Land by tender at the slip within Cunnamore Pier or on the flats or jetties along the shore of the inlet.

Why visit here?

First recorded as 'Rinecoolecusky' in 1614, and then 'Rinekullisky' in 1659, locally or Rinkoe, Rincolisky Harbour takes its name from the castle that overlooks it from a steep shoreline hillock. The name is derived from the Irish words Rinn chuil uisge which means 'the point with water at the rear'. This perfectly describes the stood back castle built on a steep hillock that descends steeply to the shores of the adjacent Roaring Water Bay.




Rincolisky Castle was built in 1495 by the powerful Gaelic O'Driscoll clan, discussed in the Baltimore Harbour entry, who held the power at that time around Baltimore and the islands. Sited on the narrows it seems Rincolisky was located to defend the area between Cullamore and the mainland. The topography would have also acted as a natural 'corral' for herds of cattle and the castle's commanding position would have enabled the O'Driscolls to then easily defend a large herd. It would have also been the principal stronghold of Collybeg, the area corresponding to the area north of the Ilen River.




Only the first two storeys of what was a five-storey tower survive and it would have originally looked more like Roaring Water Bay' Kilcoe Castle which it corresponds with. The 1450 Kilcoe Castle was a McCarthy stronghold, or clan-dermot. The role these opposing buildings played must surely have been just as much as symbols as their more utilitarian defence functions. In their day, the two tall opposing architectures of the two castles must have stood as icons to the clan's defiance against each other, and to all others represent the power and the impregnability of their holdings. Whatever the case both the clan's powers would both come to an abrupt end in the dawn of the 17th-century.




This happened when they had the misfortune of choosing the wrong side in the Munster wars during the reign of Tudor Queen Elizabeth I. After her forces decisively defeated the Irish and Spanish forces, at the Battle of Kinsale in 1601, the property of the O’Driscolls and McCarthys were both confiscated or taken in the case of Kilcoe. Rincolisky Castle was given to Sir Walter Copinger in 1602. Copinger then knocked the top three upper floors of the castle and built White Hall House from the material close to the castle and at the head of Rincolisky Harbour. The bottom two storeys of the castle were then left to ruin. At this time the area took on the name 'Whitehall' which was supposed to have been given to by one of the Audley family, some of whom were Earls of Castlehaven.




In 1690 the Copinger’s suffered the same fate as the Gaelic clans when he supported James II and the family lost the area to Samuel Townsend. Smith writing his History of Cork in 1750, noted that the area 'was known as Whitehall, formerly called Rincolisky, a good house of Samuel Townshend, pleasantly situated on an arm of the sea'. The house was undoubtedly large, built with stones from the old castle. Later, c.1810, the family rebuilt the house as the Georgian mansion that is seen today overlooking the inlet. It is a fine house with beautiful grounds and private beaches. In 2000, the bottom two storeys of Rincolisky Castle were renovated and it is used today as a vacation rental property.




With such excellent neighbouring anchorages, this is a settled weather berth on this lovely coast. It would be uncomfortable in any southwesterly gales that blow in from the Atlantic. But Rincolisky has the shelter of the islands, particularly Hare Island, which would make it a reasonable anchorage in anything but a hard southerly blow. Boats that can take to the bottom will find excellent shelter here.

What facilities are available?

Apart from the pier and the slip at Cunnamore there are no other facilities at Rincolisky Harbour.

Any security concerns?

Never an issue known to have occurred to a vessel in Rincolisky Harbour.

With thanks to:

Diarmuid Minihane, Baltimore Harbour Master.